1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to protective eyewear and protective earwear devices, and in particular, to protective eyewear with combined protective earpieces, as well as to protective eyewear devices having attached audio capability.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is often desired to protect a person's eyes from being injured by flying debris at the workplace and to protect a person's hearing from being injured due to excessive noise at the workplace. Well-known solutions for this problem include providing separate safety glasses and earplugs. A problem occurs because a person, such as an employee, may use only one protective device when, in fact, both protective eyewear and protective earpieces are needed for proper protection in the work environment. Other well-known solutions for this problem include providing safety glasses with earplugs attached to the safety glasses in some manner, such as by cords. The problem with these solutions is that a user may wear the safety glasses without using the earplugs, thereby causing damage to his or her hearing. As an example, Leight, U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,925, provides a hearing protector assembly that attaches to the temples of safety glasses, in which the temples of the glasses are supported over the ear. The protector assembly can be completely removed from the safety glasses, and, in addition, the assembly includes a brake that can hold the earplug away from the ear, thereby allowing the safety glasses to be worn without utilizing the hearing protector.
It is therefore desirable to have an eyesight and hearing safety device that, by design, requires the wearer to use both the safety glasses and earplugs simultaneously, thereby ensuring that the eyes and the hearing of the wearer are protected from harm.
It is also sometimes desired to listen to an audio device such as a radio, cassette tape player, or compact disc player while wearing protective or corrective eyewear, and there are occasions, such as, for example, on the floor of a large factory, where it is desirable to have the added convenience of a microphone along with audio reception capability so as to permit two-way communication. Well-known solutions to this problem include the use of an audio headset with the headset possibly having a microphone, and often such headsets are worn by those who wear glasses. The problem with prior art solutions is the inconvenience of having to put on or take off the glasses and headset with microphone separately and then having to reposition both devices when either is disturbed.
Rickards, U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,479, discloses a pair of safety glasses having a boom microphone and having disposable speaker earplugs attached by a sound tube or wire to a radio receiver mounted to the safety glasses. However, safety glasses of the Rickards device are supported over the ears of the wearer by earloops on the rear of the temples, thereby allowing the speaker earplugs to be removed while the safety glasses are worn and thereby removing any protection to the wearer's hearing. Such prior art is undesirable because the wearer's ears can become completely exposed and unblocked while wearing the glasses, and wearing of the earpieces thus cannot be compelled.
It is also known to have eyeglasses that incorporate a hearing aid into the frame of the eyeglasses. However, such solutions are not capable of attachment to a two-way communications device, such as a radio, and such hearing aid glasses do not incorporate a microphone. Additionally, such hearing aid glasses do not provide protection from further hearing loss.
It is further desirable that the eye protection lenses or shield of the eyewear may be tinted or have a polarizing coating for serving as sunglasses, thereby protecting the eyes from harmful glare or rays from the sun when outdoors, and that such eyewear be provided with audio earpieces and/or microphones.